A number of golf clubs under investigation

Prosecutors are considering legal action against the owners of a golf complex in Mallorca after revealing investigators had discovered equipment allegedly designed to illegally extract water to irrigate the course.

The island is in the midst of a serious drought, with a severe drinking water shortage.

Yet it is claimed the course in Andratx had been extracting water from an underground reservoir without permission.

The Balearic government has been investigating a number of golf clubs in recent months.

Its experts removed more than 150m of pipe, an extraction pump and then disabled an electrical panel. Equipment, it said, had been specifically designed to irrigate the course. 

The amount being taken was up to 720 cubic metres of water a day for use on the greens, according to investigators. 

This is said to be sufficient to keep 5,000 inhabitants of villages in the area supplied with water. 

Golf courses across the island are permitted to use only treated water to keep their greens and plants in top condition.

Environmental agencies have denounced those who try to circumvent the law accusing them of threatening the ecological balance of the island.

It is understood the course, if convicted, could face a fine of between €10,000 and €1 million.

The situation will be regarded as alarming by those concerned that this may not be an isolated affair but rather a pattern of abuse that threatens Mallorca’s sustainability.

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